TLC_301 Listening
AYAX A. LÓPEZ RODRÍGUEZ
TEACHING LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION
08/11/2024
VIDEO
Teaching Listening Skills in EFL classroom
Listening Difficulties for EFL Learners
Inability to use strategies to summarize heard information
Inability to link words to the context
Inability to skim and predict information due to limited practice.
Lack of exposure and practice with different kinds of accents and colloquial vocabulary
Difficulties with sounds, pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, and stress.
Schema Theory in Classroom
2 important processes occur
Top-Down Processing
Works alongside bottom-up processing to enhance comprehension.
Brain attempts to superimpose existing knowledge on new information to assimilate it.
Bottom-Up Processing
Triggers past knowledge and experiences
The movement of data from the page to the brain
What is?
how knowledge is represented and how that representation facilitates the use of the knowledge.
Listening Process
Long-Term Memory
Foreign language learners may struggle with all stages due to limited language knowledge
Constructing meaning and potentially transferring it to long-term memory for future use
Short-Term Memory Processing
Requires comparing new data with stored knowledge in long-term memory.
Words are matched with known information, meaning is extracted.
Sensory Store (Echoic Memory)
Relies on existing language knowledge
Sounds enter sensory memory and are organized into meaningful units.
Listening Comprehension
(Richards’ (1992) View on Listening Comprehension)
Involves recognizing linguistic units and using skills and strategies
Skills
Cognitive Skills: Processing meaning
Linguistic Skills: Understanding sounds and words
Linguistic Units
Background Knowledge
Grammar
Words
Phonemes
What EFL teachers can do to assist learners develop their listening skills
Accuracy and Form Analysis
Develop accuracy in perceiving sounds and words.
Set Comprehension Goals
Define specific objectives for listening activities, allowing learners to assess progress.
Focus on Meaning
Listening improves when learners concentrate on the meaning and importance of content in English.
Self-access outside the Classroom
Diverse Materials
Promotes exposure to English in varied formats and for enjoyment.
Listening to English stories, watching conversation shows, films, and even radio broadcasts.
Encouraging Independent Practice
Learners should be provided with opportunities for students to use diverse audio visual materials as self-access study materials
such as
DVD
Videos
Tapes
REFLECTION AND IMPROVEMENT
When I was in middle and high school, I had problems, especially with understanding different accents. Most of the input I received came from my teacher and, occasionally, from movies, which were mostly American. I rarely heard different accents, and when I did, I really couldn’t understand them.
I also struggled with several unfamiliar words, as I didn't hear many native speakers and didn’t look for ways to expand my vocabulary. I only learned what was taught in school.
Based on what I learned in this unit, I think some of the things I could have done—and that I might implement in a classroom to prevent students from having similar difficulties—include exposing them to input from different sources, such as movies, videos, and podcasts. Additionally, it would be importante that these materials included various accents, so they don’t get used only to the American accent, which is usually the one we are most exposed to.
Another important point I should implement is to motivate and provide my students with resources so they can continue studying and learning independently, outside the classroom, and in ways and with materials they enjoy.
Qi (1997) on the Importance of Listening.
Listening is the foundation for learning a language, providing essential comprehensible input.
Comprehensible input: Understandable language that helps build language skills.
